A New Day Will Begin
by The Wicked Yveltal
Summary: On the night of the blue moon, the Clan leaders traditionally each choose a cat to be reborn. With the blue moon approaching, Bluestar and Fireheart must decide which of the ThunderClan cats they should choose to have a new life. But which warrior has done the most to earn a second chance to live?
1. Chapter 1: A Choice to Make

**Author's Note: This story is going to be about the Warriors characters from the original series. It takes place after Tigerclaw's betrayal but the whole thing with Bluestar getting paranoid/losing her sanity is not included in my FanFiction because it just works better without it. The format of this story is going to be like _Cats_ for the most part (introducing each character and in the end choosing which one gets to be reborn) but with the characters from Warriors instead of the _Cats_ cats.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Cats, Warriors or the characters from Warriors.**

**Read, review and enjoy! :) **

Bluestar padded towards the glowing crystal at the center of the cavern, pausing for a moment to regard it with wise blue eyes. As she always did before speaking with her warrior ancestors, she summoned all her strength of mind and soul. It had always taken a different kind of strength than the one used on the battlefield, she reflected, to share with StarClan. She stretched gracefully before settling onto the ground and touching her nose lightly to the Moonstone.

Stars shimmered brightly before her closed eyelids, glittering like frost in the winter night. When she blinked open her eyes again, she found herself at Fourtrees, standing under a nearly full moon. In front of her gathered the spirits of cats that had lived before her. They stood together, not emitting warmth from their fur, but instead seemed to radiate moonlight. Stars shimmered in their eyes and their fur, giving them an unearthly appearance.

A familiar spirit stepped forward, her paws making no sound as they touched the earth. "Welcome, my daughter," said Moonflower. "It has been too long since I have had the opportunity to speak to you." The beautiful she-cat's eyes shone with warmth.

"Why have you all-?" Bluestar began to ask, before remembering and cutting herself off. "Ah," she said, "I have nearly forgotten that old tradition."

"Indeed," replied Moonflower. "It is nearly the blue moon, and therefore nearly time for you to chose one of your cats to be reborn. I can tell already, the choice will be difficult for you. You love all your cats and rightfully so. ThunderClan's current warriors are an exceptionally noble and loyal bunch. But I have faith you will make the right choice."

"I'm not sure I will," Bluestar admitted. "My choice of deputy was such a terrible mistake. How could I have been so blind to Tigerclaw's ambition?"

"Ambition is not always so easy to tell apart from dedication," soothed Moonflower. "And your next choice was Fireheart, who will make an admirable leader for ThunderClan. Believe me, Bluestar, you will choose a wonderful cat to be reborn. Your deputy will help you."

Bluestar nodded. "I hope you are right."

"Oh my daughter, I wish you would have more faith in yourself," sighed Moonflower, touching her nose gently to Bluestar's head as if naming her a warrior. Bluestar closed her eyes and for a moment, she could imagine that her mother's touch contained the same warmth it had in life. "But fear not, for I have enough faith in you for the both of us."

"Thank you," meowed Bluestar, her eyes fluttering open as she stepped back.

"Go well, Bluestar," called Moonflower as the StarClan cats began to fade from her vision and she felt the waking world calling her back. "May the light of StarClan be with you always."

…

Fireheart kept vigil, guarding ThunderClan's camp as he awaited his leader's return. After Tigerclaw's betrayal, no cat really felt safe, especially with Bluestar gone. She had departed alone for Highstones in a hurry, taking neither of her medicine cats with her. Fireheart was concerned that it would be unsafe traversing enemy territory at night. He could only hope that she had passed safely through WindClan's hunting grounds and wait for her to come back.

The young deputy stretched his legs, which were becoming stiff from the cold. He kept his ears pricked for signs of danger, but heard nothing save for the slight rustling of the wind in what remained of the leaves this close to leafbare, and beyond that the sounds of night animals that lived in the forest. The normality of what he could hear soothed him; it meant that nothing was amiss in the recesses of ThunderClan's hunting grounds.

Suddenly, Fireheart could swear he heard the sound of distant paw-steps. Cat's paw-steps. He angled his ears attentively in that direction. A moment later a ghostly shape appeared from the foliage, mist gathering on silvery fur and shining in eerie blue eyes. The moonlight made it almost blend into the shadows, giving it the appearance of a much more sinister spirit than one of StarClan.

Fireheart recoiled in alarm, terrified. Was this an enemy warrior or a vengeful spirit? Before he could decide whether he should attack it or flee, he noticed that it was Bluestar. "Great StarClan, don't _do_ that!" he insisted, his hackles falling. He lashed his tail, trying to calm his wildly beating heart. "You nearly scared me out of my fur."

Bluestar's eyes glimmered with amusement. "My apologies, my loyal deputy," she meowed teasingly. "I see you are dutiful in guarding our camp, if a bit on the skittish side."

Fireheart fluffed out his fur against the cold, settling back into his position by the edge of camp. "With Tigerclaw possibly loose in the forest, I think every cat is feeling skittish, even if they're too stubborn to admit it," he pointed out. "That's why I thought I'd handle vigil tonight. I can't really sleep anyway, even though things seem peaceful."

"Come for a walk with me," suggested Bluestar. "I have something I wish to discuss with you."

Fireheart hesitated, than rose to his paws. "Who will guard the camp?"

"We won't be long, nor will we stray too far," Bluestar promised. "With StarClan watching over us, I believe my Clan is in safe paws."

They walked together into the forest. Moonlight and shadows danced together on the forest floor and moonbeams glowed eerily through the slight mist that rested on ThunderClan's territory. For a few moments they paced in companionable silence. Fireheart could hear distantly the calls of night birds and in the undergrowth, the scurrying of tiny woodland animals. Even at night, the forest was alive, something that continued to enchant Fireheart. It was much different from his old home in the Twolegplace- a welcome change.

Eventually Fireheart turned to Bluestar, slightly unnerved by her silence. "What did you want to discuss with me?" he asked.

"An old clan tradition," she replied. "One that does not come often."

Fireheart tipped his head to the side, intrigued. "What is it?"

She stopped walking for a moment, and Fireheart paused with her. She turned her face upward towards the moonlight, the shine of it dancing in her eyes. "When the full moon comes twice, called a blue moon, we have a special ceremony before the Gathering," she explained, gazing at the moon as she spoke. "Each clan leader chooses one of their cats to ascend to StarClan and begin a new life. They are reborn as a kitten, to have a new chance for a different destiny."

He blinked at her, surprised yet fascinated. "StarClan really has that power?" he asked.

She turned her gaze to his face. "You believe that StarClan has given me nine lives," she said calmly. "Why not a new one to another cat?"

"True enough," Fireheart meowed. He lowered his gaze to the ground, thoughtful. "But if the leader chooses, then why are you telling me this? I'm hardly leader yet."

"Yes, I still have one good life left," Bluestar replied. "But there are two reasons I'm telling you this. The first is because you will be leader after me, and you must know of this tradition. My leader told me of it, as I do to you. The second reason is that ThunderClan has many noble warriors; I wish for you to help me choose which one shall be reborn."

"Me?" he echoed. "But I'm not nearly as wise as you are."

His leader looked amused. "Perhaps not yet, but you are still young and you will learn with time," she meowed. "And I trust your judgment, Fireheart."

"Thank you, Bluestar," he meowed, dipping his head. "This is a great honor."

"I know it is, which is why I entrust it to you," she responded. "You are a great cat and a great deputy to ThunderClan. I know you will help me make a wise choice."

The sun was beginning to rise over the forest, casting pastel colors across the horizon in a beautiful display. A new day was beginning; one day closer to the blue moon and one day closer to the night a cat was to be reborn.


	2. Chapter 2: Whitestorm

**Author's Note: Alright, guys, I need your opinion for this one. I had a hard time deciding how I wanted to do this story; I was torn between action based and a ****_Cats of the Clans _****type thing. I decided the latter would be much easier to do, but that makes the chapters much shorter than I originally wanted them to be. I may end up redoing this chapter depending on if I choose to stick with this style. Let me know which one you think I should do in a review or PM. If I figure out how to do a poll on my profile, you may see one there.**

**Read, review and enjoy! :)**

The first cat that came to Fireheart's mind was Whitestorm. He was a noble warrior, as well as a trusted friend to Bluestar. Additionally, he was well loved by all his Clanmates. No cat could argue that he wasn't worthy of a second life.

Whitestorm had been one of the first few ThunderClan cats Fireheart met, before he even became an apprentice. He remembered the fateful day of his choice to leave the Twolegplace behind to join the wild cats. Bluestar had sent Whitestorm, as well as the noble warrior Lionheart, to fetch Fireheart, then called Rusty, and bring him back to camp. The former kittypet remembered his pride when Whitestorm had complimented his ability to keep up with the Clan cats as they journeyed through the vast forest of ThunderClan territory. Even now that he himself was a full-fledged warrior, Fireheart admired and respected the powerful white tom.

Whitestorm was one of the calmest, most reasonable warriors in the clan. He had been one of the first to consider Yellowfang's innocence when the entire clan believed her to be guilty of stealing ThunderClan kits. He had been willing to give her a chance in helping recover the kits from the ShadowClan camp, not even knowing if they were truly there.

After they had defeated Brokenstar, Whitestorm had further proved himself noble with a wise choice; promising the remaining ShadowClan warriors a moon of hunting in peace to recover from Brokenstar's tyrannical rule. He had earned ThunderClan possible allies and showed all the compassion that made their clan the best cats in the forest. He had also earned Fireheart's respect with the wisdom and kindness in his actions.

The white tom had been the one to declare that Fireheart and Graystripe had fought like warriors in the battle against ShadowClan. Fireheart remembered his pride on that day, as his Clan cheered for him. Fireheart couldn't deny the fact that he felt personal gratitude towards Whitestorm. But it wasn't just bias that made him consider the senior warrior as his choice.

Whitestorm was a powerful warrior, who had faithfully served his Clan for many moons. He had been a close friend of Bluestar for his entire life, especially after Tigerclaw's treachery. Fireheart's lip curled at the memory of the dark brown tabby, so deceitful in comparison to the noble white warrior. Whitestorm would make ten times the deputy, and then leader, that Tigerclaw would ever have been. It was clear that Whitestorm was worthy of a second life.

But did he need one? Fireheart watched the senior warrior from across the camp as he shared fresh-kill and talked with Bluestar. He was clearly enjoying the warm sun on his shoulders and the company of his leader. Fireheart could imagine him purring. Whitestorm had been content to serve his clan and while he had been through tough times like all of ThunderClan, Fireheart had no doubt that Whitestorm didn't regret a single moment of his life.

Whitestorm was a noble warrior. He would make a wonderful leader one day, but he wasn't the cat for a second life. There was still much he could do for his Clan with the life he had.


	3. Chapter 3: Darkstripe and Longtail

**Author's Note: Thank you to everyone who voted on the poll on my profile and helped me come to the decision on how to write this. :) Since three out of five people wanted a ****_Cats of the Clans_**** style for this story, I will continue to write the story as I have it. So here is your third chapter; read, review, and enjoy! **

Darkstripe and Longtail

Fireheart knew that he must give every cat a fair chance, so he racked his brain for the cat who seemed the least likely candidate. After briefly struggling to decide between them, he settled on two—Darkstripe and Longtail. These two had picked on him ever since he came to the forest, and had been Tigerclaw's most obvious supporters. Just thinking about them made Fireheart's lip curl in distaste, but he had to consider them sooner or later, so he might as well do it now.

Darkstripe… Perhaps the most dishonest cat in ThunderClan, save for Tigerclaw himself. What were his redeeming qualities? Fireheart had to think hard. He was a decent fighter, but nowhere near as good as Tigerclaw. He had been Graystripe's mentor—at least for part of his training—but couldn't live up to Lionheart in that area, especially since Graystripe had been made a warrior soon after the former deputy's death. He was hardly the strongest or most noble warrior in ThunderClan, particularly when compared to the many worthier cats in the Clan.

All Fireheart could think of was his dislike of the dark tabby, so he switched over to Longtail. As soon as he had begun, he knew that it would be just as hard to come up with the pale warrior's good qualities as it had been to think of Darkstripe's.

Longtail was even more cowardly than Darkstripe, and even weaker when it came to fighting; Fireheart had beat him in battle before he had even had any training, back when he was Rusty the kittypet. True, he had surprised Longtail, and Bluestar had stopped the battle before Longtail could truly retaliate, but the incident still did nothing to compliment his fighting skills. It also did nothing to win him Fireheart's favor; he still remembered the pale tabby's cruel words, and the satisfaction he felt every time he looked at the nick he had made in Longtail's ear.

Despite this, Longtail had more hope than Darkstripe, he tried to reason. For starters, Longtail was younger, and had more time to turn his reputation around. _Even as unlikely as that sounds, _Fireheart thought with doubtful scorn. The pale warrior had shown no signs of wanting to change. Nevertheless, Longtail had also seemed less malicious in his following of Tigerclaw, and more as if he was admiring, yet intimidated by the dark tabby warrior.

But who was Fireheart kidding? Like Darkstripe, Longtail's only redeeming quality was that he had renounced Tigerstar's invitation to exile with him, when Bluestar had banished the treacherous deputy from ThunderClan. And, like Darkstripe, the choice had been more out of cowardliness than out of loyalty or courage; Fireheart remembered the stench of fear rising off Longtail's pelt as he declined, even now.

Fireheart couldn't help but dwell on one thing, however. Being reborn would mean that one of these warriors would start over, with no memories, no threatening histories. It would eliminate one of them as a problem, and make his Clan safer. But no matter how tempting it was to just wish away his problems, he decided firmly against it. This chance was a blessing a noble warrior deserved, not a convenient way to get rid of his enemies.

If Darkstripe or Longtail were to redeem themselves, it was something they would have to choose, and learn to do on their own.


End file.
